Process of producing gasolene.



l. C. BLACK.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GASOLENE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21. 1916.

1,275,64$ PatentedAug..13,1918-,

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY r TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Jenn cnLAoIgor nos Ancnnns, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD OIL COMPANY, orn cnmonn, CALIFORNIA, .A CORPORATION or CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GASOLENE.

Application filed February 21, 1916. Serial No. 79,525

7 '0 all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. BLACK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, inthe'county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Gasolene, of which the following is a specification. v

My invention relates to the production of gasolene. Its object is to increase the yield of gasolene from crude oil.

The nature of my process and the manner in which it is carried out will now be fully described. p y I In the ordinary distillation of crude petroleum, a continuous distillate is formed, varying continuously in gravity and boiling points. In the commercial production of marketable oils, certain cuts are,made in the distillate stream, determined by its gravity,

these cuts being designated by various names,and used for various purposes, having been foundby experience to be suitable for such purposes. For instance, a distillate cut from the streamwhose average gravity is 60 Baum, will be called gasolene, and its boiling points will vary from, say 95 lFahr. to 350 Fahr. A

Another. cut may be made,the gravity of which willbe 48 to 50 Baum.

pointswill' range from 150 Fahr. to 450 Fahr- I Any number of cuts may be made, of any gravity desired, and the boiling points of any such cut will range from that of the lightest fraction in the mixture to that of the heaviest. The boiling points most usually taken are the first, or initial, and the last, or final boiling point. This indicates to the refiner just what cuts have been taken to make that particular grade of oil.

In the usual production of gasolene, a cut is made whose gravity is about Baum, and Whose boiling points are approximately those previously given for gasolene. There is also produced a large yield of oil of a Specification of Letters Patent.

This will be called engine distillate, and its boiling.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

process I carry out in the following manner:--

In making fractional distillations of gasolene and engine distillate, I have observed the fact that both oils contain certain fractions, thefboiling points ofwhich are identical, that is, their boiling points overlap in thex higher ranges of the one and the lower ranges of the other, the high boiling fractions of gasolene being identical with the low boiling fractions of engine distillate. I have discovered that under the proper conditions. of temperature and pressure, it is possible to convert engine distillate into gasolene, by passing a hydrocarbon gas, particularly gas from an oil well, or as well, that is, natural gas, through the oiI held in a suitable container, the gas being forced through the engine distillate, preferably un der' high pressure and low temperature.

After a suitable time, which can be determined by the increase in Baum gravity, or

other suitable means, the oil is withdrawn separated into fractions, one of which will have a gravity of 60 Baum, and boiling points identical with those of natural gaso-' lene obtained from crude oil distillation.- A out can also be made, the gravity of which will be identical with the original stock subjected to the gastreatment. A further out can be made, thegravity of which will be within the range ofthat of burning oil or kerosene.

The yield of gasolene will vary considerably with thecharacter of the gas, with temperature, and with the pressure. I have obtained results where fifty per cent.- of the engine distillate is converted into gasolene; but I have found that the most economic result is obtained when a conversion is made of twenty-five to thirty per cent, 2'. e., the maximum yield per thousand cubic feet of gas used is obtained when, upon fractionation, a conversion of twenty-five to thirty per cent. is made. i The engine distillate obtained upon frac therefrom a high Baum gravity oil, and

mixing this off with a heavy distillate. In this last named case the gravity may be standard, but the boiling points will be low in the initial and high in the final, and the vapor tension will be high in comparison with natural gasolene, or with the gasolene I produce. A high vapor tension makes the oil dangerous to transport, due to its tendency to create a high pressure when its temperature becomes elevated, and a high final boiling point tends to produce a carbon deposit in the cylinders of gasolene engines, when such a gasolene is used for that purpose.

' The following is an example of my rocess:-

Treating 100 gallons of a low grade distillate (commonly called engine distillate, and having a gravity of 48 Baum and an initial and a final boiling point of 170 Fahr. and 436 Fabn, respectively) with 15,000 cubic feet of natural gas, after same has passed through a compressor plant to take out the casin -head gasolene, and under a temperature of I0 Fahr. and a gage pressure of 160 pounds, will cause the absorption of thegas by the distillate in a period of ment of details in a given case.

one hour and forty minutes. From the mixture thus formed, I derive, upon subsequent steam distillation, a fraction or cut of gasolene amounting to 29.3% of the original volume of distillate, said gasolene having a gravity of 59.5 Baum andan initial and final boiling point of 94 .and 331 Fahn, respectively. This is well within the range of the boiling points of natural gasolene, obtained a m crude oil distillation.

I also 0 tain a cut of engine distillate, the gravity of which is 48 Baum, and the initial boiling point 216 Fahn, and the final boiling point 390 Fahr. The yield of such engine distillate is 60.7 of the original volume of distillate. This engine distillate is well within the range of that obtained from crude oil distillation.

- The 10% residue left in the still has a gravity of 42 Baum, which is within the range of burning oil Or kerosene.

The foregoing example is merely a state- I am not to be bound by these specific details, hownevaeae ever, for these may vary under conditions which are well within the knowledge and practice of refiners.

In using the term conversion herein as applied to the change in the engine distillate, which occurs by the absorption of the hydrocarbon gas and which results in the subsequent recovery by ordinary steam distillation of a gasolene cut of the character and Volume stated, I am to be understood as meaning any change, probably, physical, by which the engine distillate is made to yield, under the process described, a gasolene out not heretofore found in or recoverable from such distillate and far in excess of the gasolene contained in the hydrocarbon gas absorbed.

The steam still used in the subsequent distillation of the gas treated engine distillate is that in general use by oil refiners, in which the heat of vaporization is furnished by open steam, that'is, steam admitted into the body of the oil, thereby heating it and vaporizing the volatile constituents of the,

oil. The steam may be obtained from any source, direct from a boiler, or exhaust steam from pumps or engines may be used. The pressure only needs to be sufiicient to overcome the pressure in the still and the depth of the oil body, over the steam injection pipes. This pressure may not exceed three to four pounds, the steam having a temperature of 220 Fahrenheit or thereabout.

I am aware that it is an old and well known process to absorb vapors, or particles of oil that are entrained in a gas, by passing the latter through a heavy oil, and, on distillation, to recover the absorbed vapor, leaving the heavy oil to be used again as an absorber, with no change in its characteristics. This, however, is essentially different from my process, as I bring about a change in the absorbent oil itself, and on distillation obtain a new oil, yielded from itself,

having different characteristics from the original oil, this new oil being a more valuable product than the original oil.

Any suitable apparatus may be used in which the treatment of the engine distillate with the natural gas may be carried out.

In the accompanying drawings, I show two simple forms of apparatus.

In these drawings Figure 1 is av view of one form of apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a view of another and prefer-rial form of apparatus in which the oil and gas proceed in counter current, a. condition tending toward the highest etiiciency.

In Fig. 1, the tank 1 is fitted with a valve controlled pipe 2 for supplying the low gravity oil to be treated, a storage tank for said oil being shown at 3, and a pump 4 being indicated as means for supplying said oil.

lit

till

bit

till

tank 1, the end of said 'lhe tank 1 is also fitted with a valve controlled pipe 5 for withdrawing the charge after it has been treated with the gas. This pipe 5 is shown as leading into a storage tank 6 for the gas-treated oil, and from this last named tank a valve-controlled pipe line 7 leads to the steamstillfnot shown. 8 is the valve controlled gas inlet pipe, to the tank having a perforate 10 is a valve controlled outlet pipe for withdrawing the gas after treating the oil.

In Fig. 2, the gas-absorber comprises a treating tank 11 which has a valve con trolled supply pipe 12 for a continuous stream of oil introduced, preferably, at or near the top of the tank, said pipe receiving its supply from the storage tank 13 and a pump 14. The treating tank also has within it a series of trays 15 with overflows l6, and over these trays the oil continuously and successively passes, meeting the upgoing gas which is introduced at the bottom of the tank by a valve controlled pipe 17, the gas being discharged into each trayfull of oil, by distributers 18, thereby making the two streams, one of oil and the other of gas, pass counter-current to each other. 19 is a valve controlled gas-outlet pipe from the top of the treating tank. 20 is a valve controlled outlet pipe for the treated oil, leading from the lower portion of the treating tank to a gas-treated oil storage tank 21, from which a valve-controlled line pipe 22 leads to the steam still, not shown.

Although I have herein expressed a preference for the use of natural as from an oil or gas well, I may use a ydrocarbon gas otherwise derived or from a diflerent source, as, for example, still-gas from the distillation of petroleum, or coal tar or from the distillation of any hydrocarbon. The use of natural gas has, however, special advanta es, such as its great abundance, its availabi ity and its richness in those qualities necessary for its action in the present connection.

1. The process of producing gasolene which consists in a conversion of a cut in the fractional distillation of petroleum whose boiling points lie within the final boiling point of the gasolene cut and whose Baum gravity lies below that of said gasolene cut, by absorbing in said low avity cut a hydrocarbon gas at approximately normal temperature, and subsequently distilling said gas-treated cut and recovering therefrom a cut identical in its gravity, its boiling-point range, and its vapor tension (pipe within the v distributer 9.

i said gas-treated -cut and recovering with gasolene obtained from the natural distillation of petroleum.

2. The process of producing gasolene lene cut, by-absorbing in said low gravity cut natural gas at approximately normal temperature, and subsequently distilling therefrom a cut identical in its gravity, its boil ing-point range, and its vapor tension with" gasolene obtained from the natural distillation of petroleum.

3. lhe process of producing gasolene which consists in taking that cut in the fractional distillation of petroleum, whose initial boiling-point range overlaps the final boiling-point of the gasolene cut ofsaid distillation, and whose Baurn gravity lies below that of said gasolene cut, and convertingthose fractions of the cut so taken which are identical in boilin point with certain fractions of said gaso ene cut, by causing the absorption of a hydrocarbon gas at approximately normal temperatnre by the cut so taken, and then fractionally distilling said gas-treated cut and recovering therefrom the converted fractions in a cut identical in its gravity, boiling-point range and vapor tension with gasolene obtained from the natural distillation of petroleum.

4. The process of producing gasolene which conslsts in taking that cut in the fractional distillation of petroleum, whose initial boiling-point range overlaps the final boiling-point of the gasolene cut of said distillation, and whose Baum gravity lies below that of said gasoldne cut, and converting those fractions of the cut so taken which are identical in boiling point with certain fractions of said gasolene out, by causing the absorption of natural gas at approximately normal temperature by the cut .so taken, and then fractionally distilling said gas-treated cut and recovering therefrom the converted fractions in a cut identical in its gravity, boiling-point range and vapor tension with gasolene obtained from thenatural distillation of petroleum.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. BLACK. Witnesses:

WM. F. Boom, D. B. Rronanns. 

